After the treatment, the cancer can relapse. A second tumor may develop in other parts of your skin and even in distant tissues. Your chances of surviving depend largely on the stage and size of the tumor when it was diagnosed. However, the prognosis of skin cancer is not alarming, unlike many other forms of cancer. Basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas diagnosed and treated early are cured permanently in more than 90% of cases.
However, the survival rates tend to differ from one race to another. The overall 5-year relative survival rate for 1999-2005 from 17 SEER geographic areas was 91.1%. Five-year relative survival rates by race and sex were:
- 88.6% for white men;
- 93.7% for white women;
- 86.2% for black men;
- 91.1% for black women.